The Translate app constructed into your iPhone is a hidden gem in the event you’re touring overseas. It provides you the power to obtain languages upfront, so that you don’t have to fret a couple of dodgy mobile connection.
The digital camera permits you to translate textual content in-line of a restaurant menu or parking meter — it may enable you to out of a sticky state of affairs. The Translate app’s dialog view makes it straightforward having a back-and-forth with somebody who doesn’t communicate your native tongue.
Right here’s learn how to take advantage of out of the built-in Translate app.
Learn how to use the Translate app on iPhone
The Translate app doesn’t help as many languages as others like Google Translate. However Apple’s person interface, in my view, is way nicer.
The Apple Translate app helps Arabic, Chinese language (simplified and conventional Mandarin), Dutch, English (U.S. and U.Ok.), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain), Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Desk of Contents:
- Be sure to have it put in
- Choose a language and translate
- Level the digital camera
- Write out in a dialog
- See your favorites for straightforward entry
- Obtain a language upfront
- Guides to extra iPhone apps
Be sure to have it put in
In the event you can’t discover it in your telephone, it’s potential you deleted it earlier than. Obtain it once more from the App Retailer right here — it’s free.
Choose a language and translate

Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Choose two languages from the dropdown menus. You possibly can faucet on both area to sort one thing in and see the interpretation within the reverse language.
The Fullscreen button will put the interpretation in big textual content, making it straightforward to point out another person, with a Play button to talk the interpretation by way of the audio system. Faucet the Dialog button to get again to the primary display.
The Star button will add this translation to your favorites for straightforward entry later.
The E-book button will allow you to faucet on any phrase to see the direct translation and potential alternate meanings.
The Copy button will copy the textual content so that you can paste elsewhere.
After you dismiss the keyboard, you’ll see a Play button on the appropriate to play both phrase out of your telephone’s audio system.
Level the digital camera

Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Faucet the Digicam tab on the underside to translate one thing in entrance of you. Faucet the shutter button to pause the freeze the picture and get in-line translations. The app will put translated textual content on prime of the picture; faucet on a line to see it extra clearly.
This doesn’t take an image, so that you don’t have to fret about it filling your library with random pictures of Italian restaurant menus. (However in the event you like, you’ll be able to faucet the Share button and hit Save Picture.)
Write out in a dialog

Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you have to have a back-and-forth with somebody, faucet the Dialog tab. It’s like an iMessage chat — you enter textual content in your native language (or faucet the Microphone button) and also you’ll see translated textual content.
Faucet View > Face to Faceand each side of the dialog can be organized prime and backside. You possibly can maintain your telephone flat in entrance of you and simply permit the opposite individual to comply with alongside and reply. Faucet the Swap button in the course of the display if you wish to reverse it.
See your favorites for straightforward entry
Faucet the Favorites tab to see translations you’ve bookmarked. You possibly can hit the Play button to play them inline, the Fullscreen button to point out it to somebody, or Copy to stick it elsewhere.
To delete a favourite, swipe left and hit the Trash button.
Obtain a language upfront
From the Translation or Dialog tabs, faucet the ⋯ menu within the prime proper and faucet Obtain Languages. Faucet on a language to start out downloading. Obtain each languages — the one you communicate natively and the one you need translated.
To take away a downloaded language, faucet Edit then faucet the − button and hit Delete. Faucet Finished whenever you’re accomplished.
I extremely advocate the Translate app. Whereas it doesn’t provide the identical breadth of languages as Google Translate, you’ll be able to rely on it for fast, correct translations. Downloading languages upfront for offline use is a unbelievable energy characteristic; the dialog view and digital camera are nice conveniences.
Guides to extra iPhone apps
We initially printed this text on the iPhone Translate app on March 6, 2024. We up to date the data on July 7, 2025.